Joyfull Living

Have you seen the cute graphic floating around - "only 2 more months til its pumpkin everything? Yes, that is me!  My favorite home decorating store - Kirklands, released their new fall collection today, it's way too early, but I feel fall fever coming on! A recipe caught my eye , Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies. ..wow!  There's a lot of goodness in just the title!  Here is the recipe: Preheat over to 350F Degrees 2 1/2 c. all purpose flour* 2 tsp. baking soda 1 (3.4-3.56 oz) box of pumpkin spice pudding (dry) 1 1/2 stick of butter, softened 1/2 c. granulated sugar 1 c. brown sugar 2 large eggs, room temperature 2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 tbsp. honey 1 1/2 c. of chocolate chunks In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and pumpkin spice pudding mix- set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment, cream together (on medium speed) butter and both sugars until fluffy (about 5 minutes). Then add eggs, one a...

Priories - A thing that is regarded as more important than another. They are spoken loudly through our actions, the way we spend our time and how we invest our energy and effort. In our busy pace culture, if we don't define our priorities, the daily demands of life will set our priorities for us.  How do we label our priorities when we are often needed is so many areas?   Why are you here and what do you want to accomplish, is the foundational question.  What are your current priorities?  Consider what your priorities look like and how you would like them to be different. After pinpointing your present priorities, here are a few  questions that can help us to make appropriate adjustments:  1. What is your most cherished/important role? Start by writing down all the roles you play. Are you a teacher, sister, mom, wife, chauffeur, chef, banker, daughter, Jesus-follower?  List your roles. All of them. After making a list of yo...

One of the greatest healthy habits established in our home was to eat more fruit. As we began to seek healthier habits, we learned breakfast is very important and should never be skipped.  I don't like to eat until I've been up a few hours, but I knew something needed to be ate for health benefits. Fruit became the answer,  it was easily digested and fulfilled that portion of a healthy diet.  I was thrilled when sweet hubby jumped on board with some morning fruit. He is super disciplined and has an awesome morning routine.  Fruits are on the list and citrus is his favorite type of fruit - every day.  I love variety and different types of fruits every day works great for me.  In late summer, citrus fruits are getting scarce and sweet hubby has to adapt some!   I found this list of the healthiest fruits that can be found year round.  The plan is to keep these fruits always available for our morning fruit ritual! Bananas The United S...

Women in the church....when we gather together, what fun it is to share common bonds, families, books, fun and lots of life stories we can relate to.  This is a place where friendships are formed, families are bound together by the common bond of Christ and lifelong friendships can be made. Women's groups can make one feel welcome and provide a variety of support, service and plain ole fun.   As wonderful as those qualities that knit us together are, our foundation must be stronger than our feelings and emotions. Our Lord is the one who created us, He knows our greatest needs and has great purpose for each of us. As women gather together in His name, some helpful pillars will hold us up and equip us to be women of God.  THE 4 PILLARS OF WOMEN’S MINISTRY: 1. STUDY – Providing women the opportunity to study God's Word. 2 Timothy 3:16-17(ESV), “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training i...

As a child growing up, my family wasn't very traditional - in any area!  Even our meals were nothing like 'normal' families.  My mother had a way of doing things all her own and if it worked for her, it worked for all of us!  She loved to drink her soda.  Fresca in the can - all day long!  I'm going with the line of thinking that back then, the dangers of soda were not realized, especially since that was what we were raised on - soda all day long.  After I got married and had a home and family of my own, I quickly gained the understanding that soda was not a feasible  daily drink - cost wise or nutrition wise. My husband and children loved sweet tea, but I'm just not a tea drinker. Lemonade worked for years, then the benefits of drinking water led me to try to begin that healthy habit.   But I found that water is just bland!  No taste, no excitement, no fizz, nothing.  Back then the only option of spicing up the taste of wat...

I'm not a leader....I'm too timid to tell others what to do, to make my point known, and I do everything possible to avoid confrontation - none of which are leadership qualifications. When we think of the word “leader” it is easy to put into the same context as the word “boss” or “supervisor” or “CEO.” and we usually turn away and run. But leadership is behavior, and it is possible in any context.  Leadership can be done at home with your family, on the job, in the community, in church positions.  Titus 2 is a foundational Scripture passage for women.   "Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good,  so that they may [a]encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,  to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored." It is not age specific, we are all 'older' ...

As a child, I never went to summer camp. The fear of spending the night away from home hindered me from getting a glimpse of the fun and blessings that come from camp. When our boys were smaller, our church began a small church camp. They expressed an interest in going and went; and then went every year they were age eligible!  After their age limit came for a camper, they continued on to be camp counselors.  A friend talked me into becoming a camp counselor one year for the girls cabin. I decided to go and have continued going every year for over 10 years now! Camp week isn't a vacation, but has lots of time away from the stresses of everyday life. It is a ministry time, a time to form relationships and for the children to take in and grow in the Lord. A time to grow closer to one another and meet new friends. To enjoy simple pleasures like ice cream cones, put-put golf, swimming, meals, riding in the back of trucks, lots of walking. Trying new things like paddle boar...

Being a positive thinker doesn’t mean living with a Pollyanna/rose-colored glasses mentality. It simply means choosing to intentionally look for the best in things, and find reasons to be positive, rather than intentionally, or even inadvertently, focusing on the negative aspects of people, life and situations. We can’t control our circumstances, but we can always control our thoughts about them. And when we change the way we think, we in turn change the way feel and live. Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” (NKJV) Our thoughts determine who we are and how we live our life. If you have found yourself becoming a negative or pessimistic thinker lately, even if you have lots of reasons to justify that type of attitude, or if you feel like you’ve always been a negative person and think it’s impossible to change, might you consider incorporating a few of these tips into your everyday routines? 6 things positive people do every day When you in...

Independence Day has been one of the most celebrated events among nations. It is the birth and beginning of our beloved freedom. This July 4, let's reflect on the hard earned freedom and grace that we all share and enjoy. No one can deny that many of the founding fathers of the United States of America were men of deep religious convictions based in the Bible and their Christian faith in Jesus Christ. Of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence, nearly half (24) held seminary or Bible school degrees. These Christian quotes of the founding fathers will give you an overview of their strong moral and spiritual convictions which helped form the foundations of our nation and our government. Here are the top quotes and bible verses that will inspire and motivate the family as they celebrate America's Independence Day: George Washington: 1st U.S. President "While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certai...